Former PSG midfielder Jerome Rothen makes interesting Neymar comment with 'luxury substitute' claim
Former Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) winger Jerome Rothen has claimed that Neymar should not be used sparingly as a super-sub when he is 100% fit, both mentally and physically.
The Brazilian hasn't featured for Les Parisiens since picking up an ankle injury in PSG's dramatic 4-3 victory over Lille OSC on February 19. He is expected to miss the game against Nantes on Saturday (March 4) and will likely be out for the second leg of the UEFA Champions League match against Bayern Munich.
🏽Neymar continuing his recovery! 🇧🇷💪🏽
https://t.co/ZDanDQv5X3
PSG showed no signs of missing the Brazil international on Sunday after dismantling second-placed Marseille 3-0. The feared duo of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe showed great chemistry and linked up well to torment their defense. The win extended PSG's lead to eight points at the top of Ligue 1 as they look likely to win their 11th title this season.
However, following this victory, many people debated whether or not Neymar was needed in the starting XI, following the great offensive link-up between Messi and Mbappe.
RMC Sport pundit Daniel Riolo believes he limits the team offensively. On After Foot RMC, he said:
“In front, when there are only two of them and Messi can find Mbappe, there they are, the boulevards. But we don’t discover anything, the fact that the three can’t play together, we’ve always known that it doesn’t work.
He added:
“All the managers say it (…) it’s as if they feel that there is an obligation [to align them], that they cannot free themselves from that (…) I don’t not exclude that Christophe Galtier understands it and that, even when Neymar returns, he says to him: ‘Sir, your place is on the bench’ because the three cannot play together.”
However, former player Jerome Rothen believes the Brazilian is too good to be left on the bench:
“To reduce Neymar to a substitute or luxury substitute position, I think whoever says this today [is] being definitive,” Rothen recently said on RMC Sport (h/t Paris Fans). “I’m not saying that Neymar should not go to the bench when he is not well in his body or in his head.
He continued:
“But if he is 100 percent, under the pretext that he can’t do what Lionel Messi did on Sunday or that he can’t do PSG a favor and help the team be good? He has already done it.”
Despite criticism, the former Barcelona winger has had a prolific season so far. In 29 appearances in all competitions, he has scored 18 goals and provided 17 assists.
This season's 10+ goals and assists club 🔥 https://t.co/S7Rg4mVbaJ
L'Equipe journalist claims that PSG superstar Neymar should be starting in a different role
With many questioning if the Brazilian should be starting for Les Parisiens, L'Equipe's Loic Tanzi believes Christophe Galtier should be starting him in a different role in the team.
Tanzi said on L’Equipe du Greg (h/t Canal Supporters):
“If PSG goes to the quarter-finals, will Christophe Galtier continue in this system (3-5-2) with Neymar? I think the answer is yes. It’s just the Brazilian’s use that will be a bit different. We can remove Fabian Ruiz and put Neymar in the midfield instead.
He added:
“He is the one who would make the efforts in the middle. He has always done it well. PSG played very well in the first part of the season with the three."